Judging from the horrible reviews for the 'Sex and the City' sequel, the joy ride might be over for the four, iconic gal pals from Manhattan. Or maybe the next movie will simply send them to more recession-conscious, unglamorous locations than a sultan's desert oasis.

Some critics have accused the movie of simply being boring. Others have called the movie frivolous. Then there's the charge that the movie is racist and demeaning to Muslims. Or simply completely out of touch with our current economic climate. (Unlike, say, the hugely popular, decadent, Depression-era movies featuring Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers of the 1930s.)

These are not the kinds of things you'd expect to read about the former, light-hearted, hit HBO television series. Then again, that was a different time, when excess was celebrated, rather than reviled.

But ultimately, whether there's a 'Sex and the City 3: Hello, Cleveland' depends less on what the critics think and all about one thing: how the movie does this weekend at the box office.